Aug 07, 2020

Lincoln bowling alley owner vows to fight city virus mandate

Posted Aug 07, 2020 8:23 PM

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The owner of a Lincoln bowling alley that was ordered to close for violating citywide coronavirus restrictions said Friday that he'll continue to fight the mandate, and he took down signs that local health officials posted on his business.

Benjamin Madsen, the owner of Madsen's Bowling & Billiards, said in a Facebook video that he plans to "push back even harder" after city officials told him to shutter his business.

"They absolutely have to silence me because I am a person standing against their tyranny," Madsen said in the video, filmed as he drove to his business. "So, believe me when I tell you that this fight is far from over. But they will not defeat me. God is on my side."

City health officials issued a second closure order against the business on Thursday, hours after a judge rejected their request for a court order to shutter the business.

Lancaster County District Court Judge John Colborn ruled that the city can enforce its own mandate with police or sheriff's deputies and doesn't need a court order. The judge didn't weigh in on whether the city's public health measures were legally valid.

City officials issued the first closure order against the bowling alley on Saturday for repeated violations of Lincoln's directed health measure. The measure requires all people who are at least 5 years old to wear a mask in public areas where it's impossible to maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others.

The city has also put limits on the number of people allowed at public gatherings to try to keep the virus from spreading. Officials have said that employees at Madsen's Bowling & Billiards weren't wearing face coverings, patrons were told that masks were optional and people weren't far enough apart.

Nebraska has confirmed 27,821 cases and 340 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the state's online tracking portal. The number of cases is likely higher, though, due to those that aren't documented. Officials say 294,198 people have gotten tested so far, and there were 332 new cases reported Thursday.

The state's hospital capacity remains stable, with 40% of hospital beds, 38% of intensive care unit beds and 79% of ventilators available.